


Goldilocks and the Two Bears AU

by yellow_craion



Category: Leverage
Genre: Affection, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Autistic Parker (Leverage), Bathing/Washing, Breaking and Entering, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Goldilocks and the Three Bears Elements, M/M, Mention of ableism, Multi, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Nudity, Queerplatonic Relationships, Sharing a Bed, Stimming, Touching, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 06:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13852275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellow_craion/pseuds/yellow_craion
Summary: After having left her home town behind, Parker journeys to a new land. Walking through a strange forest one evening she is surprised by two massive bears. She runs away and breaks into a cozy hut in the middle of the woods. She spends the night there, on high alert in case the bears come back. Or the inhabitants of the cottage.In the morning the latter do come in.





	Goldilocks and the Two Bears AU

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Goldilocks and the Two Bears AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/361029) by me. 



> This is another of my fairy tale AUs, and testing ground to see if I can write autistic characters properly. I'm not autistic, so any comments good or bad or any suggestions from actually autistic ppl would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> I want to thank my two betas: autisticsimonlewis and rapha-is-a-saint (both on tumblr) - you've been a great help ^-^

She kicks at pebbles every couple of steps.

A promised shortcut isn't much of a shortcut as it turns out. There seems to be no end of this forest. She wouldn't mind, too much, but as peaceful as it is, she's worn out. It is taking her longer than she’s anticipated, and by now it can’t be helped, she has to camp under the stars.

She curses the foreign territory, but that as well cannot be helped. Back in her home town there was little worth keeping her in place. On top of that, the law enforcement started to recognize her face, despite her best efforts.

Stepping off the road and into a clearing, she gathers some dried branches to make a small fire and considers her options.

A loud stomping draws her attention back to the present and all too soon she’s faced with a bear. It’s a massive beast, with thick fur almost glowing in the orange glow of a sunset. It glares at her small frame, as if calculating. And, oh! It’s got a friend. Just as impressive, but the fur of the second one seems a bit darker.

Thanks to her quick reflexes, she's putting some distance between herself and the bears. But where she has speed and agility, they have size and strength.

Further up ahead she spots a house. Situated here, whoever lives there must be aware of the bears so she doesn’t feel too bad about bringing them to a stranger’s doorstep.

A flash of memory almost makes her pause. Almost.

Briefly, she considers just spending the night up a tree instead of risking …whoever lives there. But then she glances behind and it seems the choice is made for her.

The bears stop their pursuit when she comes close to the cottage and its surrounding garden. With a deep steeling breath she knocks but there’s no one there. The structure is in too good a shape to be abandoned, the wooden door can’t be older that a couple of years (and she would know) but the owner clearly doesn’t pay any attention to security and picking the lock is laughably easy.

She takes her time exploring the cottage, if only to make sure there really isn't anybody inside, then helps herself to the pot of stew that’s left waiting in the kitchen.

Deciding against occupying an actual bed, in favor of being able to hear in case any homeowners show up, she opts to spend the night by the fireplace, lying on the wooden floor. A colorful blanket off the side of an armchair will have to do for the night; she wraps it around herself snugly and uses her bag as a makeshift pillow.

The house settles around her. She counts the seconds between each creak the building makes. It's so soothing she has to struggle not to fall into deep sleep. She needs to be aware of her surroundings, enough to make a hasty escape if need be.

 

-

 

The woodpecker's incessant hammering into a tree startles Alec out of his sleep and he jerks upright. Sudden movement pulls on his muscles and he grunts, rolling slowly back onto the ground and awaiting the wave of discomfort to fade. He rests his forearm against his face, in an attempt to shield them from the early light, even though he knows it's just a matter of time for his eyes to adjust to the brightness. He's laying on soft grass but here and there pebbles and small branches are digging into his bare flesh. No way to get comfortable.

The faster he gets up, the faster he'll be in bed, where the only possible thing digging into him could be Eliot's knee, but right now just thinking about moving hurts.

On that note, where is Eliot? He'd expect his warm body to be right next to him.

A slow, careful breath in later and he's forcing his voice to cooperate."El?"

Good. Audible enough.

There's a momentary stillness and a muffled "I'm here," coming from a distance. With a resigned sigh, Alec sits up and waits for Eliot to reach him. He must have woken up earlier and gone to find their things.

It's part of their routine. They pack a bag with their clothes and some emergency supplies, just in case, and hide it _before_ the change. That way, once it's all over they don't have to wander through the woods naked and risk meeting unsuspecting travelers like that. They both would much prefer to not cover themselves up, and luckily there rarely are any people other than themselves around these parts, but they've discussed it at length and for now, this is the best precaution they could come up with.

He rests his elbows on his knees and hides his head in his hands, uselessly trying to stifle the happy morning birdsong. It's always like this, _afterwards_. Both of them have to suffer through a transitory period. Their senses pick up the tiniest smell, or noise or anything really and amplify it to an unbearable level, always a bit out of sync with the brain that now is again back to being just a human one and unable to process all that input. The intensity of it always leaves them with a headache.

That's why clothes are so uncomfortable. The bone deep ache from the transformation is bad enough, but it's as if their bodies can't remember their original state, making the skin tingle and itch after shedding a thick layer of fur.

Alec imagines himself in bed instead.

"Heads up," Eliot stands over him and Alec can't control his chuckle as he looks up. Yes, Eliot is just as averse to putting on clothes right now as he is.

Still, they dig through the bag.

"You hungry yet?" Eliot asks quietly as he's putting on his shirt.

Alec has to pause with one arm in a sleeve to consider this. It's hard to tell with so many different sensations bombarding his brain but for now, that difficulty is enough of a clue that he answers with a lazy "nah".

He leaves the shirt open, loosely hanging from his shoulders and starts fumbling with his pants. He lets out a huff when he realizes he has to get up to put them on, but he has to do that anyway if he is to get home, so it's not that much of a sacrifice.

"Ok." Eliot offers him a hand and pulls Alec upright. The movement leaves them both wobbling, and Alec grabs onto Eliot's arm instinctively, fighting the dizziness before they find their balance leaning into each other.

Eliot smiles at him.

"Think we can put these on without falling on our asses?"

With some effort, and lots of steadying hand holding, they manage to dress themselves and they move on home. They trudge through the forest at a slow pace, both of them eager to be home but too sore to move any faster.

 

-

 

The residual heightened senses are the first to inform them of an intruder in their home.

"You smell that…?" Eliot asks softly. "Somebody's been here."

Alec would rather not smell anything right now, but yes. Among the scent of grass and Eliot's precious vegetable garden off the side of their home, there is a hint of something that isn't usually here.

"Think they're gone?" he hopes so. He can't see anyone, but then again, it's hard to see anything, with the bright sunshine flickering through the tree leaves. He really needs to bury himself in bed and sleep it all off.

Can't do that though, not if there's an intruder and a possible threat.

"Can't tell," Eliot mutters irritably. He nods towards the door and they come in. At first glance, nothing seems out of place. Except an almost empty bowl at the table and a pulled out chair; Eliot would never go out and leave food out in the open like that.

Alec comes closer to inspect. The smell of cold food is making him gag, so he hastily steps back a bit. "Somebody's been eating our stew," he confirms to Eliot, who growls at that.

With a long suffering sigh, Eliot looks to the ceiling and orders, bit louder than strictly necessary, "I am not in the mood to look for you so just come out! You really don't want me to look for you." He addresses the area at large.

After a moment a woman steps out from a closet.

Eliot grows even more impatient with the silent waiting contest and prompts with a short, "well?!"

"Well what?" The woman shrugs, though her posture remains stiff. After balling her hands into fists, she eventually twists them behind her back. "I broke into your home, yes. What do you want me to say? And before you say it, I'm not sorry, I had to do it so I won't apologize."

With an eye roll, Eliot leans heavily on the table, while Alec just drops gracelessly onto a chair, his long legs out and open.

"Other than the food," he nods towards the bowl, "did you help yourself to anything else?"

"No. I didn't come here to rob you."

"Right."

"There were bears and I had to run."

The men share a look at the mention of bears.

"Did we…?" Alec whispers to Eliot, trying to piece together what went on exactly, but the memories are out of reach.

All Eliot can offer him is a shrug, so he asks the stranger instead, "so the bears, they chase you here?"

"Ah… kind of? They stopped but I saw the house and figured, why not, you know? I didn't steal anything. Except the food, I mean. I promise." Her eyes roam around the place, making a silent point. "I could have… but I didn't."

Neither of them feels up to challenge that claim so they just share a tired look.

"Fine," Eliot throws his hands up and points to the door. "Get out."

"No sneaking back in!" Alec adds quietly.

She startles, "really?"

"Go!" Eliot yells, jabbing his fingers in the general direction of the entrance, "just go!"

The woman dashes out of their home, the thud of the door closing echoing behind her, way too loud for them. They wince in unison.

"You ok, El?" Alec finally asks.

He groans, rubbing his face with his hands. "Sorry, man… can we just, I don't know, just… go to bed? We can wash up later, I just… I'm ready to drop on the floor."

The pained look in his wet eyes resonates with Alec. The unexpected encounter drained him as well.

"Sure," his face muscles are too strained to form a smile but he lets it shine in his eyes, and the tight nod he gets and a silently mouthed 'thank you' tells him Eliot saw it all the same.

As a precaution he goes to lock the door. Neither of them has the presence of mind to consider that it has been locked before, and what it could mean.

Once Alec is done, Eliot reaches out a hand for him to hold on to and they make their way to their bedroom, ditching whatever pieces of clothing they can being temporarily one-handed.

-

 

It's silence that greets him this time when Alec wakes. Sleep leaves him slowly, and still he keeps his eyes closed, just allowing himself to drift lazily. He turns onto his side, burying his cheek into the warmed up pillow and smiles when his movements are followed by Eliot, who turns alongside him and wraps his arm around his waist.

Alec leans back a little, until he feels Eliot's chest press against him, then he reaches his hand from under the heavy duvet and interlocks his fingers with Eliot, squeezing lightly.

"Mornin'…" he whispers, his voice husky from sleep. Truthfully, he supposes it's more of a late afternoon than morning, but it's all the same for now.

"Hey," Eliot responds behind him, planting his face firmly against the nape of Alec's neck. His warm breath is ghosting over his skin.

His body is heavy and he can't imagine untangling his legs from the sheets.

So he doesn't. He savors the closeness of Eliot's body and their combined heat and he falls back asleep with a small smile.

-

 

It's almost a week later, when she's back at the cottage.

There's no response to her knocking, and she has to restrain herself from picking the lock again. With a sigh, she steps away and spots a tree with low hanging thick branches nearby. It's perfect and close enough to keep an eye on the house.

Excitement bubbling inside, she all but sprints to it and climbs it effortlessly. Even through her clothes, the coarse bark digs into her thighs when she sits down. She takes off her bag and hangs it higher to the side, and runs her palms along the wood, taking in the harsh surface. It picks at her skin.

She closes her eyes. Repeats the motion, this way and that way. The bark scratches her hands, again and again.

Then she drops back with a laugh. Only her legs keeping her in place, she's hanging upside down, her arms dangling freely.

It's Tuesday today. Tuesdays and Fridays are market days in town, she knows. She can wait. Up here she could wait a whole day.

 

-

 

There are noises indicating people coming close. Heavy steps on the ground, rustle of leaves and broken branches, but mostly conversation.

"… rhubarb cake you like so much?"

One of them chuckles but any response is cut off when they notice her.

"How long have you been …waiting here?"

She scrunches up her face. "I don't know."

"Nice of you not to break in this time," the one with longer hair points out.

"You didn't like it last time."

"People generally don't like that."

She scoffs, "I don't care about _people_. I came here for you." She swings back and forth a couple times and pulls herself up onto the branch to sit. She brushes the hair off her face and grabs the bag. Then she jumps down. "I'm Parker, by the way."

She likes that name. She's been practicing enough so it flows off her tongue easily; way better than the other one ever had.

"Uh, the grump here is Eliot," the tall one says with a chuckle, and Eliot offers her a hand to shake. She stiffens and doesn't return the gesture. Instead, she hides her own hands behind her back; part curious, but mostly worried for their reaction. People have called her rude before for not shaking their hands. People have done worse things than calling her rude.

A cold shudder runs up her spine.

The hand withdraws slowly and Parker chances a look up. There is a quirk to Eliot's lips. She's not sure it's good or bad.

"And I'm Alec," he adds after a while. "So, what brings you here?"

"Wanted to give you…" Parker rummages through her bag, "…this."

She's holding a door lock out in her palm, but when their only reaction is silent gaping she huffs a breath.

"What?" Alec asks and Eliot starts at the same time: "In case you forgot, we already have a lock…"

"What you have is rusty garbage. I modified this one myself, trust me, yours doesn't even come close." So she goes on to explain. It's important. Fascinating too, but for them, mostly just important.

Once she's finished, a realization hits her.

She's finished.

They didn't stop her.

"I don't get it," Eliot says at last. "Why bother making this for us in the first place?"

"What he meant to say," Alec adds hastily, "is thank you for your thoughtful gift…"

At that she beams.

Eliot raises his eyes to heaven.

"…but seriously, he has a point. Why do it?"

"It's a thank you gift for not getting me in trouble with the sheriff," she admits reluctantly.

"Ah," Eliot snorts and looks away. "We don't like the bastard either."

That piques her interest. "Why?"

"Another time. Alec? Mind getting the door?"

As soon as the door is open, Eliot lifts his free arm and waits for Alec to hand him his bags, then says with a nod inside, "I'll put these away and start on that cake. You got this?"

Only after a barely audible "yeah," does Eliot go inside.

Parker follows in after Alec. "I'll get the toolbox," Alec mutters and he's walking away too, leaving her briefly to her own devices.

It's not long before he's back and puts a toolbox on the table, opens it, and with a silent wave beckons Parker to take a look inside. It's well stocked, if basic. There are three screwdrivers - small, big and medium. With a glance at the door, she picks the medium one. Yes, it will fit _just right_.

"So, you two," she gestures between them, and takes the few steps to the door. "What are you to each other?" She kneels down and with swift hands starts to dismantle the old locking mechanism. It's simple. Locks always are.

Alec heaves a sigh. "How about we skip the interrogation," he grunts, wrapping his arms around himself.

Parker looks up at that. When he doesn't offer anything more, just keeps busy looking in the toolbox, she frowns. She's holding everything she needs to change the lock. She's been putting all the screws into her palm while working. Now, she tightens her hand almost into a fist, small metal pieces grinding against each other and digging lightly into her skin. After a moment of consideration she finally asks, still watching him like a hawk, "have I said something wrong?"

"We don't like that question."

That's the first time Eliot contributes something to their exchange. He's still facing away from them, bowed over the counter, sorting through ingredients for a cake for the past …however long Parker's been here.

"Why?"

The screws in her hand click rhythmically.

Alec opens his mouth but nothing comes out. He just shakes his head. "El?" his voice is soft when he turns to the other man.

Parker is watching with rapt attention, when Elliot is mouthing something she can't quite catch from her place by the door, and despite just standing there looking at each other, they're having a whole conversation in front of her.

"People like to judge, yeah?" Alec says with a heavy sigh, his arms tight against his chest. He backs away from the table until his back is at the counter, arm's length away from the other man. Parker can tell he's watching him from the corner of his eye.  Alec meanwhile, is looking at his feet, "what we have, it's… nobody gets it."

And then, suddenly he adds: "not that it's anybody's business in the first place!"

As much as Parker understands it's an emotional topic for them, she can't shake the feeling at least part of the heat behind that statement was aimed at her. She leaves that thought for later though.

"It's one of the reasons we moved out here…" Eliot offers gently.

A brief smile flashes across Alec's mouth. He hums in agreement.

"It was either gossip about all the wild sex we must be having, or how, if we're not in fact having it, we're just friends looking for attention. And that's if they didn't want to bash our heads in in the first place…" His voice is strained and his arms, still folded over his chest, are almost vibrating with tension. Even she can see that. "So, no, we don't like that question."

Eliot reaches out and puts his hand on Alec's bicep. Once he has his attention, his eyebrows go up momentarily and they're staring into each other. Again. Parker wonders how they can do that.

She tried that once. Didn't go well.

Alec covers Eliot's hand with his own and squeezes. Finally, with a jerky nod, Alec whispers to him "I'm good."

Thinking it over, Parker gets back to her task. She's not entirely sure they don't expect her to say something, maybe even apologize. What for, she's not sure either. Still, she tunes them out and pulls out the final screws. She needs to think. And working with a lock? What better to focus on?

Once all the screws are divided into her palms, she puts the screwdriver between her teeth and digs a bit with her fingertips to get the old lock to come out. She puts the new one in place and screws it in.

A side glance confirms the men are still there. She clears her throat to get their attention and gets up.

"Normal's whatever works for you."

Alec gives her a smile.

-

As days pass, they find Parker spending more time in their home, or in its vicinity, than away. They never ask where she goes if she's away, and she doesn't volunteer the information. Once, Eliot tells her to be careful and stay inside if they're not there but finds it difficult to insist on it since they're both unwilling to clue her in about their recurring bear problem. At least not yet.

It's noon now, sun high up in the sky but the forest's protecting Alec from the worst of the heat.

He's storing away dry wood that Eliot chopped in the morning. His movements are mostly automatic by now; pick up a few logs, carry them into the little shed they have attached to their house and put them up against the back wall.

Parker joins him. She sits down cross-legged on the grass and munches on some pretzels, rocking gently.

He greets her with a silent smile and sees she's wearing one of his shirts. The red one; its color makes her stand out and he thinks on the stark contrast to her usual fashion. Or, rather - what they could glimpse of her fashion, since all she really has with her is what she's got on her back, and a small travel bag. That gives him an idea and he's speaking before he can stop himself.

"You know, we can make room in the closet for your things. Hell, even get another one in the guest bedroom…"

"I like your clothes," she says simply, following his movements with her eyes.

"Thanks," Alec chuckles. This reminds him of a conversation he had with Eliot years ago, when he borrowed Eliot's sweater for the first time. "It's not that I mind sharing, promise. It's just… you barely have any stuff here. Don't you want… I don't know… maybe we could go get your stuff from home?"

They've been around each other long enough for Alec to understand he said the wrong thing when Parker's rocking picks up speed.

They don't talk about her past much, other than her pickpocketing skills and dislike for the authorities, and Alec is curious. It's how he's wired. It's why he reads so much. It's why he tinkers so much. His Nana calls him her scientist.

Still.

"I'm sorry. I overstepped."

She hums and keeps rocking.

When moments pass quietly and Alec worries he's done irreparable damage to their budding friendship, he hears her again. "I like your clothes."

With finality, she gets up and heads towards her tree. It's what Alec's been calling that old oak they saw her literally hanging from weeks ago; Parker's tree.

He's seen her spend hours up there. Tree climbing hasn't ever appealed to him, not even when he was a child. He can, however, imagine Eliot enjoying the activity and that thought makes him grin. He'll have to ask Parker what she'd think about that. One day.

For now, there's the issue of clothes to figure out. Namely, to get Eliot to join him on a shopping trip into town, now that they have a third person using their limited wardrobe.

With the last few logs stored away, he wipes his brow with his forearm and scowls. He's sweaty and itchy and now there's even more saw dust stuck to his face.

How he longs for a bath.

When he comes inside, he finds the other man already in the bathroom, pouring water into their massive bathtub. The light is coming in warm shafts through the curtained window and it's making Eliot almost glow, as he's setting it all up. It's nice and cozy and the sound from outside is pleasantly muffed and Alec can't contain the happiness bubbling in him.

Unaware of his presence yet, Eliot enjoys the preparation process. His movements are slow and he takes his time sorting through the cabinets.

As the rest of the water is getting hot by the fire he picks out soap and puts some washcloths on the bathtub's rim, in easy reach; and all the other items they usually use as well. Then he adds a few droplets of sandalwood essential oil and swirls his hand around the water.

Alec gets hungry in the meantime so he steps into the kitchen, leaving Eliot to his task. Soon, he brings them both a plate of sandwiches, nothing special or fancy, just bread and butter and whatever vegetable he managed to find and slice up. Tomatoes were in easy reach; Eliot picked them up this morning. They share a brief smile when Alec enters the bathroom and closes the door, before setting the plate on a shelf by the tub, just so it doesn't get soaked.

Just as Eliot is about to leave, Alec grips his hand, stopping him in his tracks.

"Want me to stay?"

"Yes," Alec drops his dirty clothes on the floor and gets into the bathtub, letting out a quiet sigh as he's sliding down under water.

So Eliot settles against the side of the tub, with one hand dipped in warm water. After a moment he cups a handful and spills it over Alec's shoulder.

"You know, if you really want to help, you could do my back."

Eliot laughs at that, but grabs another washcloth and soaks it up.

-

 

Later that afternoon they stay in by the fireplace.

Alec takes that time to read, before it's too dark; Eliot often grumbles about the amount of candles he lights, how it's a fire hazard.

Eliot sits on the rug by his side, his head propped on Alec's thigh.

Parker comes in some time later and perches on the back of the other armchair. She cranes her neck to read the title and asks Alec to read out loud.

He does.

She enjoys listening to his voice.

-


End file.
